Virginia Foster

Born in Belize and a resident of the Cayman Islands since 1977, Virginia Foster is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, storyteller, and educator. While widely recognized for her ceramic art, Foster’s creative practice extends to fashion, where she skillfully reimagines traditional Caymanian materials and techniques into contemporary masterpieces.

These two headpieces exemplify her ingenuity. Sea, Sand and Sun, a fascinator, showcases the intricate plaiting of silver thatch, a technique deeply rooted in Caymanian craftsmanship. The piece is further enriched with fiber and textile elements, blending heritage with modern elegance and avant-garde innovation. Destination Cayman, a wedding headpiece, similarly weaves silver thatch and dried coconut flowers with textile flowers and delicate beadwork, resulting in a striking fusion of nature and artistry.

Both titles carry a subtle irony, nodding to the ways in which places like the Cayman Islands—and their cultural traditions—are often packaged for tourism. Foster’s work implicitly challenges these perceptions, celebrating the depth, complexity, and evolving identity of Caymanian craft.

Biography adapted from National Gallery of the Cayman Islands website: (https://www.nationalgallery.org.ky/artist/virginia-auntie-v-foster/)